Russiabot Newsletter 4 [07.29.2020]
A terrorist cell thwarted in Saint Petersburg, Yefremov pleads not guilty, Moscow won't build military bases in Libya, Kamchatka election updates, and the Russian government underfunds the disabled
The Russiabot Newsletter
Wednesday, July 29th, 2020
‘The Last Rays’ - Charles Harold Davis (WikiCommons)
Here are your top stories, as reported by Russian media today:
Security Services Thwart an Islamic State Cell in Saint Petersburg
Celebrated Russian Actor Yefremov Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash
Moscow Denies Allegations of Plans to Build Military Bases in Libya
Eight Candidates Registered for September 13th Gubernatorial Elections in Kamchatka Krai
Federal Audit Finds Russian Government Underfunding Housing for Citizens with Disabilities
1. Security Services Thwart an Islamic State Cell in Saint Petersburg
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) claims that an operation conducted with the support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs disrupted an Islamic State (IS) cell operating in Saint Petersburg.
In addition to raising finances and conducting recruiting campaigns, the FSB claims the terrorist cell was planning attacks on military and law enforcement personnel, after which they intended to flee the country to the Middle East.
This is the second raid on IS facilities conducted by Russian law enforcement this month in Saint Petersburg. Earlier in July, authorities arrested a man allegedly providing financial assistance to individuals seeking to travel to fight for IS in the Middle East.
In 2017, the Islamic State bombed the Saint Petersburg Metro during morning rush hour, killing 15 and wounding 64.
(Interfax, SPBDnevnik, Fontanka)
2. Celebrated Russian Actor Yefremov Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash
Stage and Film actor Mikhail Yefremov plead not guilty over a June 8th car accident which led to the death of the opposing driver, with his legal team stating they will be presenting additional evidence to Moscow’s prosecutor.
Yefremov—who is accused of driving while drunk, with a blood alcohol level of 2.1ppm—originally acknowledged responsibility in the Moscow crash which killed Seregi Zakharov (no relation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman), appearing to admit culpability in a widely shared video recorded immediately after the accident. Yefremov’s Jeep Grand Cherokee is caught on video swerving into the opposite lane of traffic.
Due to the death of Zakharov, charges against the Russian actor have been made more severe, with Yefremov now facing up to 12 years in prison should the court find him guilty.
Mikhail Yefremov is a widely celebrated actor in Russia’s film and theater industries, holding the title of “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation” since 1995. In recent years, Yefremov offer vocal criticism of the Kremlin’s actions both domestically and abroad.
(Interfax, RBC, Twitter, MK, 7days)
3. Moscow Denies Allegations of Plans to Build Military Bases in Libya
Georgiy Borisenko –Russia’s ambassador to Egypt—refuted claims that Moscow is pursuing the construction of military bases in Libya, as part of its support to General Khalifa Haftar’s faction in the ongoing Libyan Civil War. This statement came as a refutation of earlier assertions made by Fathi Bashagha, Minister of Internal Affairs for the opposing Government of National Accord of Libya, which claimed the Russian military was preparing to build military installations at Sirte and Jufra.
Certain regional concerns indicate that Russia’s growing military support for Haftar could provide opportunity for the Kremlin’s continued military presence in the country, roughly mirroring Russia’s 2015 deployment of military hardware in support of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War.
As Russiabot highlighted last month, The Russian military has been funneling mercenaries and anti-air systems to the city of Sirte, as part of an increased drive to shift the Civil War in favor of Haftar’s Libyan National Army.
Libya has been in a state of varying degrees of civil conflict since the ousting of Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. Current fighting is taking place between the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord based out of Western Tripoli, and the Russia-backed Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar from the Eastern city of Tobruk.
(Kommersant, RBC, RIA)
4. Eight Candidates Registered for September 13th Gubernatorial Elections in Kamchatka Krai
Eight individuals have submitted their candidacy for the September 13th gubernatorial elections in Russia’s Kamchatka Krai, in the country’s Far East. The local election board is currently reviewing petition signatures to make final approvals to these candidacies. Currently, acting governor Vladimir Solodov is the only individual who is confirmed to have met the threshold of 52 signatures from supporting local deputies to validate his candidacy.
These eight contenders include:
- Vladimir Solodov, acting governor, self-nominated
- Etibar Sabir Oglu Tagiev, self-nominated
- Valeriy Kalashnikov, Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)
- Maksim Bliznyukov, Party of Progress
- Valeriy Bykov, Communist Party of the Russian Federation
- Aleksandr Ostrikov, Russian Patriots
- Andrei Likhodedov, Civic Platform
- Dmitriy Bobrovskikh, A Just Russia
The previous governor, United Russia affiliated Vladimir Ilyukhin, submitted his resignation to President Vladimir Putin last April.
Of note, none of the tentative candidates are members of the United Russia Party, which would support theories that the governing political faction is attempting to salvage a tarnished reputation by not running ‘official’ candidates to local leadership positions.
Kamchatka Krai is part of the Far Eastern Federal District, which was recently swept up in a wave of political unrest following the sacking and arrest of Khabarovsk governor Sergei Furgal.
(Kommersant, Press41, Kam24)
5. Federal Audit Finds Russian Government Underfunding Housing for Citizens with Disabilities
An Audit by Russia’s Chamber of Accounts –the parliamentary body for Federal financial control—determined that the government is not spending enough money to improve the standard of living for people with disabilities living in the Russian Federation.
Specifically, the Chamber of Accounts estimated that at current spend rates, it will take more than 20 years to eliminate the backlog of cases for individuals requesting financial assistance from the government. Currently, there are an estimated 100,000 pending cases to provide financial assistance to those with disabilities. This, in turn, deprives disabled individuals of access to critical government services, such as subsidized housing- according to the Audit.
Russia’s ongoing budget shortfalls are blamed for this issue, with many cuts made to critical government services following the introduction of international sanctions in 2014, as well as the parallel issue of low oil prices impacting a critical source of revenue for the State.
The Deputy Minister for Construction, Housing, and Utilities supported the findings of the audit, and affirmed that the government will strive to reduce these backlogs by 2024.